Typhoon Nalgae on Course to Hit the Philippines

BOSTON, Sept. 30, 2011 — According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Nalgae (named “Quiel” by the Philippines state weather bureau, PAGASA) formed on September 24 east of Guam from an area of convection with a weak low-level circulation center. Over the next several days, Nalgae became better organized under moderate vertical wind shear and high sea surface temperatures of 29°C-30°C. It strengthened to tropical storm strength and was named by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) on September 26. Nalgae is the nineteenth named tropical cyclone of the 2011…

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Three storms in the Atlantic have insurers and storm watchers worried

As the hurricane season continues its slow march, new storms are appearing in the Atlantic Ocean, spurring concerns that this season may make good on the promise of unusually high activity. The National Hurricane Center has been tracking Hurricane Katia for a number of weeks as it has hovered just off the East Coast, fluctuating between hurricane status and that of a tropical storm. Two new storms have sprouted in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, and both have storm watchers worried. At present, Katia is designated as a…

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Irene Becomes First Hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season

According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Irene became the Atlantic basin’s first hurricane of the 2011 season when its winds strengthened to 75 miles per hour at about 5:00 AM Monday morning as it was exiting Puerto Rico’s northern coast. Currently a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with sustained winds of 80 mph, Irene is expected to strengthen further over the next few days, potentially reaching Category 3 status by Saturday, depending on how long it remains over the ocean. “Hurricane Irene is the ninth…

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